Spain’s smallest commercial airport, El Hierro (IATA: VDE) in the Canary Islands, will only be able to accept flights between 08:30 and 18:00 from 22 December 2025 until at least 12 January 2026 after airport operator Aena confirmed that the local air-navigation services provider Saerco has halved the number of air-traffic controllers on duty.
The island’s regional party, Agrupación Herreña Independiente (AHI), says the sudden reduction from six to three controllers violates the terms of Saerco’s concession contract and leaves no margin to extend opening hours in the event of delays, medical evacuations or weather diversions from neighbouring Tenerife.
![Aena cuts El Hierro airport operating hours, sparking mobility backlash]()
Business travellers and residents alike rely on the late-evening Tenerife–El Hierro rotation to connect with mainland flights and freight services; its cancellation forces overnight stays or expensive charters. Hoteliers fear lost bookings over the peak New-Year period, while the island’s exporters warn that perishable seafood shipments could miss international connections.
Aena has described the measure as a “temporary contingency” and says it is considering financial penalties against Saerco. Insiders note that controller shortages are affecting several regional Spanish airports as a wave of retirements coincides with slow recruitment pipelines. The union USCA has demanded urgent talks on staffing and overtime limits.
Organisations that depend on rapid air access—including the Canary Islands Health Service, which airlifts patients to Tenerife—are drafting alternative logistics plans but caution that helicopter transfers have limited night-time capacity. Corporate travel managers with crew changes in the archipelago are being advised to reroute through Tenerife North (TFN) or Gran Canaria (LPA) where possible.
The island’s regional party, Agrupación Herreña Independiente (AHI), says the sudden reduction from six to three controllers violates the terms of Saerco’s concession contract and leaves no margin to extend opening hours in the event of delays, medical evacuations or weather diversions from neighbouring Tenerife.
Business travellers and residents alike rely on the late-evening Tenerife–El Hierro rotation to connect with mainland flights and freight services; its cancellation forces overnight stays or expensive charters. Hoteliers fear lost bookings over the peak New-Year period, while the island’s exporters warn that perishable seafood shipments could miss international connections.
Aena has described the measure as a “temporary contingency” and says it is considering financial penalties against Saerco. Insiders note that controller shortages are affecting several regional Spanish airports as a wave of retirements coincides with slow recruitment pipelines. The union USCA has demanded urgent talks on staffing and overtime limits.
Organisations that depend on rapid air access—including the Canary Islands Health Service, which airlifts patients to Tenerife—are drafting alternative logistics plans but caution that helicopter transfers have limited night-time capacity. Corporate travel managers with crew changes in the archipelago are being advised to reroute through Tenerife North (TFN) or Gran Canaria (LPA) where possible.
Source: Preferente
